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Research Paper On Chicago World's Fair Of 1893

1153 Words5 Pages

Ryan McCaffery
Mrs. Yale-Wasdyke / Mr. Herman
AP U.S. History II
5 September 2016

The city of Chicago’s transition from the Black City to the White City was able to not only revitalize the city, but the country as a whole. Americans, especially Chicagoans, were in dire need of something to reinstill pride in their nation, and the White City was able to do just that. The World’s Fair of 1893 was supposed to be a temporary celebration of Columbus’s discovery of America, while also outdoing the French (Paris hosted the previous World’s Fair). It turned out to be a huge protagonist in the changing of American culture. It allowed Chicago to become “one of the first cities to adopt aspects of the new City Beautiful movement” (Maranzani). Countless …show more content…

It began the transformation from ruralization to industrialization for not just Chicago, but the U.S. as a whole. Before the Fair, the country relied mostly on the rural lifestyle. After the fair, Chicago was left with an immense amount of skyscrapers, and it set a new standard for American cities. These skyscrapers left a multitude of employment opportunities (Rose). Advancements in technology and society brought many new opportunities to the public; the vast buildings and excursions took a lot of workers for the building and production of these events. Union workers were introduced and used throughout the entirety of the fair (Larson 24/130). Finally, the fair boosted America economically. While it did take a while to get as popular as it was anticipated to be, the fair brought in approximately five million dollars. The Ferris Wheel was the financial leader, as it turned a profit on its own. With all of the financial income, which came from the 6.8 million paid visitors, Burnham was able to return one million dollars back to stockholders (Rose). Even with economic turmoil elsewhere in the United States, Chicago’s economy flourished. The Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 had a tremendous impact on American industrial and economic superpowers following the aforementioned …show more content…

It led to countless inventions and advancements in technology following the fair. The influence of the fair helped shape modern society, and continues to have an impact on the America’s entertainment industry. Economic and industrial superpowers were derived from the fair as well. Furthermore, it helped transition America from a rural to industrial state. The White City offered hope and a glimpse of the future to Americans at the time, especially those living in the Black City of Chicago, and continues to offer that to Americans today. The 1893 Chicago World’s Fair was unquestionably a watershed event influencing American lives, while also serving as the foundation for America’s industrial and economic strength upon entering the twentieth

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